Nonexistent
by BlackParade15
Summary: Edward and Alphonse Elric were Winry Rockbell's best friends as a child. What she didn't understand was why only a few people could see them. AU. EdWin. Rated M for Ed's mouth later.
1. Chapter 1

**This just might be the longest fanfic I've written. This is funny, because I've written like twenty that I don't have the guts to post on here.**

**Oh, and reviews would be nice. Enjoy~!**

1.

Winry Rockbell loved Edward Elric's company. He was funny and never got sick of her the way other people had. He and his brother Alphonse were the only playmates she had, but she didn't mind. She had so much fun with the Elrics, naturally it was a surprise when her mother asked her one day who she was playing with.

"Ed and Al!" she replied innocently, confused. Her mother began to look worried.

"But, sweetie, there's no one there." Winry looked to her left and, sure enough, Edward was there, holding her hand with his cold, metal one and smiling mischievously. A glance to her right confirmed that Alphonse was there as well, holding her other hand and shyly smiling at her. She once again looked at her mother in confusion.

"But they're right here! Holding my hands!" Her mother looked down and noticed that her daughter's hands were curled, as if she really was holding someone's hands. She frowned.

"Sweetie, enough games- it's time for dinner." Winry's eyes lowered sadly, and she looked over to Alphonse.

"I have to go in, Al," she said sadly. His face fell, and he looked down in disappointment. "I'll come back out tomorrow, don't worry!" His face lifted a bit at that, and he nodded enthusiastically. She smiled at him and turned to Edward. He smiled at her. "I'll see you tomorrow, Ed," she said with a smile. He shook his head no, defiance sparkling in his golden eyes.

"You gotta stay, Win!" he begged, using the nickname she could never say no to. "You know you want to!" She giggled.

"Silly, it's dinner time! You guys can come in if you want to. Just wait up in my room and I'll bring you some soup!" Ed jumped.

"Yeah, food!" He turned to his brother eagerly. "C'mon, Al! Let's go wait upstairs! Alphonse's face brightened considerably.

"We can come in? Yay, your room is so cool!" And with that the two Elrics ran with her back to her house.

When Winry turned eight, she invited Edward and Alphonse to her birthday party. They accepted the invitation without hesitation, but when she told her mother who was coming, the woman was not amused.

"Winry, who is coming to your party later?" Mrs. Rockbell asked at breakfast. Winry's face scrunched up in concentration and she slowly named off who was going to arrive.

"Hmm…Mary, Katelyn, Rae…Lisa…Jenny, Ed and Al," she replied after some thought. Her mother gave her an exasperated look. She cocked her head. "What?"

"Again with your imaginary friends, Winry? You're too old to believe in something like that!" Winry's face went red.

"Edward and Alphonse Elric _ARE NOT IMAGINARY_!" She yelled, storming off to her room. Her mother had to cancel the party because she refused to come out of her room for the rest of the day.


	2. Chapter 2

2.

Winry's ninth birthday was both terrible and amazing. She told her mother she was going to the park at the foot of the hill and picked up the Elrics on the way there. They all sat on swings, Edward beating both Winry and Alphonse when they had a contest to see who could swing the highest, and after that they sat swinging their legs back and forth, just talking.

Then Envy, her personal demon, came along.

"Hey, Rockbell!" He laughed, his brothers Gluttony and Greed following suit. "Swinging with your imaginary friends?" Winry glared hard at them.

"They aren't imaginary."

"Then why are the swings next to you empty?" She heard Edward huff.

"We'll see who's imaginary!" he shouted, and with that he stood and marched over to the boys, who were oblivious to the blonde's rage.

They all screamed when Edward landed a punch to Envy's cheek, knocking him onto his butt.

"W-what was THAT?!"

"Who just PUNCHED ME!?"

"Come out here and fight like a man, whoever you are!" Winry snorted, and the boys save for the Elrics all glared at her

"What's so funny?!" Envy barked, which only made her laugh harder.

"I-I don't think...Ed likes you," she gasped out, clutching her side. She fell of the swing, causing Alphonse to start laughing as well. Envy's eyes narrowed. After calming down a bit, Winry picked herself up off the ground and made to dust herself off, but Envy shoved her, knocking her down again. She hit the ground with a thud. She glared up at him.

"What was that?!" She shrieked. She made to stand, but fell again with a gasp. She'd fallen on a rock, and couldn't stand on her leg. She looked up to see Edward shoving Envy back, ready for a fight. The boy was looking around frantically, trying to figure out who had pushed him. Alphonse hurried over to her and offered his hand, which she took with a smile of gratitude. By the time he had gotten her to her feet, Greed and Gluttony were staring at her with wide eyes. "What?"

"Y-you're leaning on air!" Greed cried, and Alphonse sighed irritably.

"Can't they just believe you when you say we're not imaginary?"

"The 'air' right here has a name, and its name is Al," Winry said in exasperation. "Do you believe me now?" Both boys snorted, and she sighed. "Apparently not," Winry murmured sadly, watching as Envy began punching the air and as Edward snickered as he stood behind the unsuspecting boy.

"Ha! Who's laughing _now_, idiot?" Edward mocked, sticking his tongue out. Envy turned, almost hitting him with one of his punches, and Edward punched him, making him stagger backwards. Winry shook her head with an amused smile, and Alphonse went to go calm his older brother down, dragging him back to her.

"Did you _really_ have to hit him with your right arm?" Winry whined, staring at Envy's now bruised cheek. She was definitely going to get in trouble for that. Edward shrugged innocently.

"Well yeah! I can hit him again with my left if you prefer-"

"Brother!"

"Sorry, Al. He just made me so mad-!"

"Who are you talking to?!" Envy barked, unknowingly interrupting the argument between the two Elrics. Winry looked at the brothers for reassurance; when they nodded, she took a deep breath and turned to Envy.

"Ed. He's the one who hit you." The teen raised his eyebrows.

"And why is 'Ed' hitting me with his right arm a problem?"

"Well, how much pain are you in?"

"I feel like I got hit by a train..."

"Well...it hurts that badly because Ed's right arm is metal." Envy's eyes widened just a bit, but since he was 13 and she was 9, he decided to hide his fear from her.

"Listen, kid," he yelled irritably, "I don't know what your mom tells you at home, but there's no one but you, me, and my brothers here. Ed and Al don't exist!"

"YES THEY DO!" She screamed, causing him to take a step back in alarm. "EDWARD AND ALPHONSE ELRIC ARE _VERY REAL_, OTHERWISE I WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO HOLD THEIR HANDS OR PLAY WITH THEM! SO JUST _SHUT UP_!" Tears were running down her face by that point, and Edward, who had still been in his brother's grip, lunged towards Envy.

"_YOU_! WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?! DON'T YELL AT WINRY OR I SWEAR I'LL KICK YOUR SORRY BUTT INTO NEXT WEEK, _YOU GOT THAT_?!" Alphonse was barely able to hold his brother back. He was shocked. He'd had his suspicions for a while, and those words confirmed them.

_'Brother is in love with Winry!'_

Envy smirked at the crying girl now kneeling in the grass and turned to his brothers.

"We just shattered that kid's dreams," he said proudly. "Let's go." Ed watched in disbelief as they walked away, but that shock quickly turned to anger.

"WHAT, YOU MAKE HER CRY AND THEN LEAVE?! YOU IDIOTS ARE _PATHETIC_! YOU'RE LUCKY AL'S HERE OTHERWISE I'D BE ALL OVER YOU! _ARGH_!" He struggled until the boys were out of sight, and only then did Alphonse let him go.

Even though he was still mad, the first thing he did was run to Winry's side and kneel down beside her, enveloping her in a hug.

That day, Edward Elric realized that he loved Winry Rockbell, Winry Rockbell realized that she loved Edward Elric, and Alphonse Elric realized that his brother was an easier person to figure out than he thought.

"Winry, you're twelve now, surely you're over your imaginary friends?" Winry sighed and looked up from her book of alchemy.

"I've told you five hundred times, mom. Ed and Al aren't imaginary. In fact, Ed looks like he wants to punch you right now." Mrs. Rockbell rolled her eyes.

"Winry, this needs to stop. I could understand if you were maybe half your age, but not when you're almost a teenager!"

"It's not my fault you don't believe me! The only way you'd believe me is if they tried to hurt someone or something!" She glared to the woman's right, where a seemingly empty chair was positioned. "Don't even think about it, Ed." After a moment, she smirked in victory and turned back to her mother, as if nothing had ever happened.

"Winry, I'm serious."

"I am, too. It's not my fault if Ed hides something on you, alright? Al's sweet, but Ed only listens to me about half of the time." She went back to her book, and her mother frowned at the cover.

"Alchemy? Why on Earth are you reading about that? You've never had any interest in it before."

"Ed and Al are alchemists. They said if I tried to understand some of the stuff in these books-" Winry gestured to the stack of books at her side, not looking away from the page. "-They'll teach me how to use it." Her mother sighed.

"First imaginary friends, now alchemy? Winry, alchemy-"

"Don't you _dare_ say alchemy isn't real! Ed used it yesterday! He's the one who made that weirdly-shaped rock!" The woman thought back to the rock her daughter had brought to her the previous day. It had been shaped like a perfect circle, with a strange carving engraved into it, like something supernatural you would find in a horror movie. She felt some fear at that thought.

_'What if my daughter is seeing ghosts, maybe even demons? I need to take her to the doctor's.'_


	3. Chapter 3

3.

"I can't believe this," Winry sighed, fidgeting in her seat. Her mother was with the doctor discussing her 'problem.' Naturally, Edward and Alphonse had come with her. Edward was busy messing with people in the waiting room, poking them and moving things to scare people. Alphonse was being mature and sat reading a magazine over her shoulder, poking her shoulder lightly when he wanted her to turn the page so it wouldn't look like a magazine was floating by itself. Eventually Edward got tired of being unseen, and went to sit on her other side.

"I can't believe your mom thinks you're in danger," he scoffed, as if the idea was unheard of. He threw his hands behind his head and crossed his ankles, eyes closed. "We've known you for _five years_!"

Winry nodded her head sadly, not missing the cautious looks she was getting from the receptionist, who had undoubtedly heard of her 'problem.' "She just won't believe me! I told her about how you made that rock, the one with the transmutation circle on it, and now she thinks demons are out to get me!" The older Elric smiled.

"Hey, you actually said 'transmutation' right! You've been reading up on alchemy more, I take it?" She nodded, smiling in victory.

"I've already got through one book, but I've got like fifty more to go..." He smile faltered, and Edward chuckled, throwing his arm around her shoulders.

"Don't worry. It's really not that much when you only count text, and even then a lot of the stuff in those books is gone over a hundred times."

"Really?"

"Yep! Take out the fancy words, the repeated stuff, and the pictures of important alchemists, and you'd probably only have maybe five books!"

"Uh, guys..." Alphonse broke in, shaking Winry's shoulder lightly. The two turned to see Mrs. Rockbell and the doctor standing before them, the same cautious looks on their faces.

"Miss Rockbell?" the doctor began, "May I see you in my office?"

"Um... I suppose so, but...can I bring Edward and Alphonse, too?" The doctor looked to her mother, who only shook her head in exasperation.

"Very well." Edward and Alphonse high-fived and followed her to the office. Once inside, Winry took a seat across from the desk, Edward hopped up onto the counter, and Alphonse read through the things hanging on the walls.

"This place is making me so uncomfortable," the older brother remarked, shivering to emphasize his statement. The younger one looked over to him.

"Hey, be happy you're not getting an injection." Edward's face paled, and Winry chuckled under her breath. The doctor, who had by now sat down at his desk, raised an eyebrow.

"Is something humorous, Miss Rockbell?" She shrugged.

"Well, Al is threatening Ed with needles. I think that's pretty humorous." He nodded slowly and wrote something down on his clipboard.

"Interesting. Can you tell me some things about Ed and Al?" She looked questioningly at the boys, who nodded their consent. She didn't like giving away their information without asking. She looked back at the doctor and nodded.

"What are their full names?"

"Edward Elric and Alphonse Elric."

"How old are they?"

"Ed is twelve, Al is eleven."

"What genders are they?"

"Both boys."

"Are they related?"

"Yeah, they're brothers."

"How long have you known them?"

"Five years."

"What hair colors do they have?"

"Ed's hair is blonde; Al's is the same, but a bit darker."

"What eye colors do they have?"

"Ed's are a really pretty bright golden color," Said blonde blushed heavily, but Winry didn't notice. Al gave him a knowing look. "Al's are a darker gold."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

"What clothes do they wear?" Again Winry looked at the Elrics. Another nod.

"I actually drew a picture of them." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper, handing it to him. He studied it silently. **(A/N Ed and Al look like they do in Conqueror of Shamballa, just younger.) **

"Very well...any...interesting traits about them?" Another glance, another nod.

"Um, they're both alchemists, Ed's right arm and left leg are automail. Al's shy and Ed's outgoing, they both have an unhealthy addiction to reading, Ed hates milk and getting shots, Al loves cats, they've done alchemy since they were kids, and..." she mentioned for him to get closer. He did so, and she whispered into his ear, "you don't want to call Ed short, he'll freak out on you...and...I think I have a crush on him." The man pulled away.

"I see. Well, you are free to go, Miss Rockbell. Have a nice day, and please send your mother in here." She nodded and stood, and the Elrics followed suit. When Winry approached her mother, the woman's eyes lit up.

"Well, how did it go?"

"He wants to talk to you." The woman nodded and went to the office, leaving the three alone with the rest of the people in the lobby. Winry sat down in her seat from earlier.

"What were you whispering in there?" Edward asked as he sat down beside her.

"Nothing important." His curiosity gave way to disappointment, and he slumped back down in his chair. Alphonse watched the two in amusement. His brother could be so oblivious sometimes.


	4. Chapter 4

4.

On Winry's fourteenth birthday, all of her distant family came to visit her, and she was relieved when she found out that her Grandma Pinako was coming to live with them. She had always been open-minded, and Winry was sure that she would accept the Elrics. The next day, she eased the woman's door open, shocked to find her grandmother already awake.

"Granny Pinako? What are you doing up?"

"Ah, Winry. I was just working on some new automail designs for my customers. It always helps business when you have a wide range of models to choose from, you know."

"Oh. But, uh, Granny, there's something else I wanted to talk to you about."

"And what would that be?" Winry came over and sat on the bench holding her grandmother's equipment and watched as the woman continued working on the shiny metal prosthetic.

"You…believe in ghosts and stuff, right?"

"Indeed I do."

"Good, maybe you'll take this better than mom did. Do you remember how when I was little, my mom told you about my 'imaginary friends,' Edward and Alphonse Elric?"

"Yes, according to your mother you had an almost unhealthy obsession with them."

"Well, they aren't imaginary. I can still see them, and they're actually getting older like I am, and they can actually touch me."

"I see…would they happen to be ghosts?"

"I don't know! That's the problem, they radiate heat and everything else just like anyone else would! I don't know what to think…"

"Have you tried checking the cemetery for their names?"

"Yeah, yesterday. The only Elric there is their mother, Trisha Elric."

"Have you asked them yourself?"

"No! Why would I ask them something like that?"

"You're right, that would be a very rude question."

"So you believe me?"

"I do. Would you introduce me to them sometime?"

"Sure. They should be over later; we spend a lot of time in my room because mom thinks I'm insane when I talk to them aloud near her." The old woman laughed.

"I would, too, if I was like her. Anyways, you should go get some breakfast, Winry. A growing girl needs food, after all."

"Alright, and Granny Pinako?"

"Yes?"

"Would…you teach me how to make automail?"

"Whatever for?"

"Well, Ed's right arm and left leg are automail. If they break I want to be able to help him."

"I see. I suppose I could teach you. Come find me whenever you have free time and we'll get started."

"Thanks, Granny!"

When the Elrics arrived at her house an hour later, Winry was bouncier than usual. Edward was the first to voice his confusion.

"Geez, Winry! You're never this happy! What happened to you?"

"One, Granny Pinako believes me, two, she wants to meet you guys, and three, she said she'd teach me how to make automail when I have free time!" Alphonse laughed.

"That's great, Winry! So when can we meet your grandmother?"

"Yeah, I'm itching to meet her if she believes that we're real!"

"We can go now," Winry said happily, watching as the brothers shared excited glances. "She won't mind."

The three raced to Pinako's room, bursting through the door.

"Granny! Ed and Al are here!" The woman turned around to face them and smiled _directly at the boys_.

"Why, hello, you two! My name is Pinako, but you can call me Granny Pinako." The Elrics exchanged looks, wondering if she could see them or if she was simply guessing.

"Oh, um, I'm Alphonse Elric," The younger one said nervously. The woman nodded at him with a smile.

"And who might you be?" she asked, looking at the stunned older brother.

"Edward Elric," he said cautiously. "Wait…you can see us? You can hear us?" She nodded.

"I've heard a lot about you boys," Pinako said with another smile. Edward began walking around the room, looking at the things scattered around. His eyes rested on the prosthetic she was working on, and he unconsciously grabbed his automail arm with his real one.

"So you're an automail mechanic?" He asked, his interest piqued.

"Yes, and I assume you are an alchemist, am I right?" He nodded.

"I showed mom a rock that Ed alchemized," Winry broke in. "And she still doesn't believe that they exist!" Pinako shook her head.

"Your mother always was a skeptic. It doesn't surprise me that she can't see them."

"We're teaching Winry alchemy, too. It really comes in handy." Alphonse piped up.

"I see," the woman said. "Is that why your mother is rambling downstairs about her daughter 'being targeted by demons?'" Winry sighed.

"Yeah. She thinks Ed and Al are demons that want to steal my soul, even though they've made no attempt to do any such thing in the five years we've known each other."

"Yeah! I wish she would just _try _to believe in us!" Alphonse exclaimed in frustration.

"It's really annoying when we're all talking and her mom comes in, because then she lectures Win for five minutes on how it's not healthy to talk to the air." Edward whined. Pinako remained silent for a moment before speaking.

"I will see if I can talk some sense into her, but I can't promise anything. In the end it all depends on if she wants to believe me or not."


	5. Chapter 5

5.

On Winry's fifteenth birthday, she performed her first transmutation. It was a small one-she had simply formed a stone wall about three feet high and about as wide as she was tall from the walkway leading up to her front door- but it was definitely something to be proud of in her eyes. The Elrics were stunned. They'd only asked her to create a wall half of the size she'd done, and she didn't seem the least bit strained by it.

"Wow, Win! Impressive!" Alphonse said happily. Winry jumped up from the circle on the ground in triumph.

"I did it! I really did it!" She squealed, clapping and giggling. Edward chuckled, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Well, now that we know you're capable of transmutations-and a damn natural at it-things will only get better!" She blushed at the praise she'd received from the alchemists, but all the color soon drained from her face, her eyes widening. Edward noticed and eyed her tensely. "What?"

"We need to get rid of this thing," she whispered hoarsely, "or my mom is going to go insane."

"Well, maybe if we leave it here she'll believe you." Alphonse offered, shrugging. She nodded slowly.

"That actually might work…if it doesn't I don't know what-"

"Win-oh my God, what is that?!" Winry spun around, her eyes immediately homing in on the form of her mother standing on the porch. The woman's eyes were wide, almost impossibly so. Her hand rose to cover her mouth in shock. "Winry Rockbell, what is that? And what is it doing in the middle of our walkway?" The girl grinned triumphantly at her mother.

"Mom! I transmuted a rock wall! I told you alchemy was real!" Her mother sighed.

"Winry, enough is enough! If you don't get rid of that thing this instant you're grounded!" Winry gave a sneaky grin to Edward and Alphonse and turned back to her fuming mother.

"Fine!" Winry got to her knees and pushed her hands into the chalk transmutation circle. There was a bright flash, and a moment later the wall had completely melted back into the ground. All that remained of her work was the circle still drawn on the ground. Her mother screamed as she got back to her feet. "I told you!"

"Winry, what was that?!"

"A transmutation! I told you Ed and Al would teach me!" The woman didn't respond, so Winry ran inside to get her grandmother, with Edward and Alphonse trailing behind her. Upon reaching her room, Winry threw the door open. "Granny Pinako! I finally did it! I did alchemy!" The woman turned to her in surprise.

"Did you? That's wonderful, Winry! And I assume you boys helped her?"

"Nope!" Edward exclaimed. "She did it all on her own, the circle and everything! She even made the wall bigger than we asked her to, and she's not even winded! She's a natural!" Pinako smiled warmly.

"I knew you had it in you, Winry! Keep practicing and you'll soon be just as skilled with alchemy as these two!" Edward raised an eyebrow.

"No offense, Win, but it takes a lot more practice to get to the level we're at." He saw her deflate and quickly caught his mistake. "I mean, we've been at this since we were seven, so it'll probably take a long time to catch up with us, considering we basically had a seven year head start at alchemy." He rubbed the back of his head, a nervous habit he'd had since childhood. The girl sighed.

"Yeah, I know. But that's why I'm gonna work extra hard to catch up to you guys!" Fierce determination shone in her blue eyes, and Edward couldn't help but smile.

"I don't doubt you. You're going to be a great alchemist."

(Later that day)

"Iron?"

"Fe."

"Lead?"

"Pb."

"Potassium?"

"K."

"Gold?"

"Au."

Silver?"

"Ag."

"Chlorine?"

"Cl."

"Geez, Ed! Sodium?"

"What? These are easy! Na."

"You are literally doing my chemistry homework."

"Well, someone has to do it, right?"

"Hey, I wasn't complaining. Arsenic."

"As."

"What, do you have the entire Periodic Table memorized?"

"Possibly."

"Copper?"

"Cu."

"Molybdenum..?"

"Mo."

"Oh my God. Thallium?"

"Tl. You sound irritated."

"You're basically a walking chemistry book. I need to start bringing you to school or something. Promethium."

"That'd be interesting. Pm."

Winry threw her book down, moaning. "I give! You're seriously starting to irritate me now!" Edward chuckled, bringing his hands behind his head and laying down on her bed.

"Why, because I'm ridiculously amazing at anything science related?"

"No, because I'm _barely able_ to do _any_ of this, and you're _acing_ it _without even batting an eye_!" He shrugged.

"Like I said, I have more experience with this stuff."

Fine then, wise guy!" She grabbed her book and opened it again, finding the page she'd left off at. "That was practice; let's see how you handle the big stuff!" Edward rolled his eyes and lifted his automail hand, gesturing for her to get on with it with a confident expression. She huffed and looked down at the book. "Alright, what does AMU stand for?" The boy yawned.

"Atomic mass unit."

"How is the Periodic Table arranged?"

"By increasing atomic number."

"What is group 1A?"

"Alkali metals."

"2?"

"Alkaline Earth metals."

"13!"

"Boron family."

" 14."

"Carbon Family."

"17."

"Halogens."

"18?"

"Noble gases. Is that the best you've got?"

"_Yes_," she groaned, leaning against the wall in defeat. Edward chuckled and patted her shoulder comfortingly.

"Hey, it's no big deal!"

"Says you! That brain of yours is probably the reason you're so short!" That got his attention.

"_DON'T CALL ME LITTLE_!" the outraged boy shouted, and Winry could almost see the vein in his forehead popping out. "_I'LL BREAK OFF YOUR FEET AND STICK 'EM ON YOUR HEAD_!"

"Brother! Quiet down, I'm trying to read!" Alphonse moaned in exasperation. The older alchemist huffed and crossed his arms.

"Fine, but only because I'll end up with a wrench lodged into my skull if I say no." Alphonse nodded his gratitude and went back to his book, and before anything else could be said Mrs. Rockbell called from downstairs.

"Winry! Is someone up there with you?"

"Uh…Ed and Al?"

"Winry, I'm serious."

"I am, too."

"Okay, fine, and what are "Ed and Al" doing?"

"Al's reading, Ed's showing me up at science."

"Seriously, Winry. They are figments of your imagination. They don't know anything you don't know."

"Mom, we've been through this."

"Which is why I don't understand how you're still clinging on to your imaginary friends!"

"They aren't imaginary!"

"HEY, LADY! IF WE'RE SO DAMN IMAGINARY, THEN HOW THE HELL ARE MULTIPLE PEOPLE SEEING US, HUH?!"

"Brother! She can't hear you, remember?" There was a long silence, and then her mother said something that completely floored her.

"I thought you said there was no one up there, Winry. Who am I hearing?" They all stared in shock at each other for a moment before Edward replied uncertainly.

"You…can hear me? I-I'm Ed!"

"Very funny, now who are you really?"

"I'm not kidding. My name is Edward Elric, and my brother Al's up here, too." They could hear footsteps rapidly approaching Winry's room, and then the door opened, revealing a confused Mrs. Rockbell. Her eyes immediately homed in on the two boys, who were sitting on the bed beside her daughter.

Her eyes were the size of saucers, not because they were in Winry's room, but because not only could she_ see right through them_, but the one who was wearing his hair in a braid _was reaching for her daughter's hand_.

"W-what's going on?!" She asked haltingly, seemingly terrified. "What do you want with my daughter?!" Edward's head tilted slightly, and the woman shied away, as if she thought his head would come right off.

"Friendship..?" He said uncertainly, glancing at Winry curiously. She sighed deeply.

"Mom, they aren't demons! I've told you since day one that they were real, you're only just seeing them now because my convincing finally got you to believe somewhat!" Alphonse nodded and stood, causing the woman to back up a step.

"We aren't going to hurt Winry," he said earnestly. "She's our best friend."

"I'd sooner hurt myself than hurt Win," Edward agreed quietly, grasping Winry's hand gently with his automail hand and unconsciously stroking it lightly with his thumb. Her face went red, and she stared at her lap to hide the blush from him. Her mother was not convinced.

"How do I know I can trust you?"

"I don't hurt the ones I love." Winry's eyes widened upon hearing Edward's soft words, as did her mother's.

"E-Ed," she breathed, turning to him in time to see his bright red cheeks. "You…love me?"

"Yeah…I do." Tears welled up in the girl's eyes, and she threw her arms around the alchemist, hugging him tightly.

"I love you, too!" The exchange went unnoticed by Mrs. Rockbell, who was too busy staring at Edward's automail hand to notice the sentimentality of it all.

"Is that automail?" The alchemist jumped, having completely forgotten about the woman's presence. He followed her gaze to his arm and nodded, flexing his metal fingers. "Did the surgery hurt?" He shrugged.

"I can't really remember. I had it done when I was six." The woman recoiled, shock radiating off of her.

"Six?! I've seen grown men cry while going through automail surgery!" Alphonse smiled proudly, and Edward pulled off his red coat so she could see the scars the surgery had left behind.

"From what I remember, he cried, but not nearly to the point people usually do. He even recovered from the surgery in only a year! Brother is stronger than any man I know." The younger Elric laughed. "Well, unless you try to give him an injection."

"At least I don't try to 'rescue' every single animal I find!" His brother shot back with a glare.

"Short temper," Mrs. Rockbell muttered. Edward spun to face her, rage evident on his face.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO MICROSCOPIC HE FALLS THROUGH THE CRACKS IN CEMENT AND HAS TO RIDE ANTS TO GET OUT?!"

"She didn't say that, Ed!"

"IT WAS IMPLIED!"

By the time Winry was able to perform transmutations without a circle a year later, her mother had accepted the Elrics and alchemy's existence. They had also come to realize why people didn't see the Elrics. Alchemy was a dead practice, one which no one believed in anymore. When they became alchemists, people stopped seeing them because of it, causing them to disappear just like alchemy had.

Winry had avoided that fate thus far, but if she could get people to believe in alchemy again by showing hers off, people would be able to see the Elrics, and she would be safe from disappearing.


	6. Chapter 6

6.

(A week later)

"Do you guys believe in magic?"

Mary gazed at Winry curiously from her spot on Winry's bed. "What?"

Katelyn cocked her head in question, looking up from her book. "Why, do you?" Winry hesitated, but nodded after a moment, picking up a piece of chalk from her nightstand and crouching on the hardwood floor.

"In a way, I can perform magic, but magic no one else can see unless they believe it's there. That's why I asked- I want to show you, but you might not be able to see it."

Now Mary was curious. "What kind of magic?"

"Alchemy."

"Well, stop drawing and show us! We'll see if we're believing hard enough."

"The drawing is part of it! A transmutation circle is completely necessary!" Winry finished the circle that she really didn't need and looked up at her friends, who were staring at it uneasily.

"This isn't some kind of witchcraft, is it Winry?" Katelyn asked quietly. Winry sighed.

"No, it's not witchcraft. Does anyone have anything they'd like me to demonstrate on?" The two girls thought for a moment, and suddenly Mary reached into her purse, pulling out a small chain with a broken clasp.

"It broke at school," she said sadly. "I don't really need it anymore, I guess." Winry studied the chain for a few moments before placing it in the center of the circle. She looked up at her friend.

"Mary, if this works-and I know it will-it's about to be good as new." She then turned her attention to both of them. "If you can see this, you're believing enough. Anyway, here goes!"

She turned her attention to the circle and placed her hands just inside of it. The chalk lines began to glow blue, and electricity crackled around the circle as the transmutation began. The two girls backed away fearfully. Suddenly, the light was gone, and Winry was smiling up at them. She grabbed the chain from the circle and stood, walking over to Mary and placing the fixed chain in her hand.

"_That's_ alchemy," Winry said happily. "So long as all of the pieces are intact, I can restore anything broken. And not only that, but I can make things out of other things with similar properties. Like, I could make grass into bread." Her friends gaped at her.

"You…fixed it…" Mary said slowly, disbelief evident in her tone. Katelyn nodded numbly.

"You were able to see it?" Winry asked eagerly. They nodded. "Good! I need you to do me a favor."

"And that would be..?"

"Alchemy is a forgotten practice. It's gone from something everyone wanted to learn to a myth, and because of that, I'm in danger. Since I know alchemy and not enough people believe in it, I'm going to end up disappearing if I can't get enough people to believe in it. It's already happened to two of my friends. I need you guys to spread the word about alchemy. Could you do that?" The two girls nodded.

"We'll have them come to you if they want a demonstration." Winry smiled, and just as she was about to speak, her bedroom door opened.

Edward and Alphonse Elric were standing there, both grinning.

"Who're they?" Mary asked, and Edward's eyes widened. He looked around and, seeing no one else around but them, asked, "…You can see us?" Mary nodded.

"Why wouldn't I-wait, you're Winry's alchemist friends, aren't you?" He nodded.

"Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist." Alphonse smiled.

"Alphonse Elric. I take it she already showed you?" Katelyn nodded.

"She fixed Mary's broken necklace chain." She pointed to the transmutation circle, and Edward looked at Winry with a confused expression.

"You used a circle?"

"I wanted them to see what they look like." Mary interrupted the conversation.

"I thought you said the circle was necessary." Winry looked at Edward for help. He brought his hands behind his head casually.

"For most alchemists, it is. However, once you get to a certain point, you don't need a transmutation circle to channel your alchemic energy. Instead, you can just focus it yourself. The three of us are past that point by now." Winry's friends went silent. Alphonse chuckled.

"Brother, I think you confused them. They're not alchemists like us, they wouldn't know what those words mean!" Edward smiled sheepishly.

"Right, sorry. Simply put, once you're good enough, you can act as your own circle." Mary nodded. Katelyn merely made a humming sound and stared at the transmutation circle on the floor.

"Interesting," she muttered. "Is this writing in another language?" Edward followed her gaze.

"Me and Al were born in a small town in Amestris. We grew up with that language, and even though we know English now, I guess the habit of writing transmutation circles in Amestrian stuck. We ended up teaching Win a lot of Amestrian, too, since when we first met her we weren't very good with English."

"A lot?" Winry giggled. "You must have taught me all of it by now!" Edward gave her a challenging smirk.

"Let's find out just how much you remember then!" She returned the gesture.

"Fine! Try me!"

"Alright, serinka remiseta!"

"Ukorinte lihone turewai!"

"Kirosunte lirente torenikaita!" She smirked.

"Ryutonuhi ruuhoni erinka!" Edward sputtered, and Alphonse looked up from in disbelief.

"You _didn't_!" Edward said in disbelief, eyes wide. His brother gave Winry a shocked look.

"Winry!? I've never heard you say something like _that _before!" The older Elric shook his head.

"I was _not _expecting something so terrible to come out of your mouth," he chuckled, crossing his arms. Winry put her hands on her hips proudly.

"I can play dirty when I need to!" Mary and Katelyn glanced between each other.

"I think we should go," Katelyn muttered, walking with Mary to the door. "Have fun with your weird other language, I guess."

"Kay. See you at school!"

"Yep." And with that, the two girls left. Winry turned to the Elric brothers, smiling lightly at their still mystified expressions.

"Wanna go to the park or something?" she asked suddenly. The boys were caught off-guard by the question, but nodded anyway.

"Maybe I'll get to kick Envy's ass," Edward said hopefully, a mischievous smirk plastered onto his face. She laughed.

"Maybe. But I want to show off my "witchcraft" to him first, just to see the freaked-out expression he gets."

**That Amestrian was weird, I know. **


	7. Chapter 7

7.

It was nearly seven by the time the group had reached the park. Edward looked around with a small smile.

"Ah, the memories," he said quietly. His eyes rested on the empty swings. "Are you guys thinking what I'm thinking?" His brother followed his gaze and smiled.

"Yeah." Winry was already there, sitting on the swing she would always use as a child. She patted the seats next to her with a smile. The boys complied with her unasked question, sitting in their respective swings on either side of her.

"Well, look who it is!" Winry sighed upon hearing the familiar voice.

"Don't let him know you're here until I show him," she quietly told the Elrics, who nodded in approval. She looked up to see all seven of the Homunculi siblings approaching-Envy, Wrath, Lust, Greed, Gluttony, Pride, and Sloth. Envy, who was at the front of the group, smirked.

"Haven't seen you in a while, Rockbell," he growled. "Did you hole yourself up in your house with your imaginary friends?" Her eyes darkened.

"No. I learned alchemy, and Amestrian. Have you done anything productive over the past few years?" He ignored my last comment.

"What's Amestrian?"

"A language."

"Do you honestly expect me to believe you?"

"Kirosunte lirente torenikaita."

"...what?"

"That was Amestrian. Do you believe me now?"

"Well…do you really think alchemy exists? It's just a myth, nothing more."

"I _know_ alchemy exists. I'm an alchemist."

"Prove it."

"Fine." She glanced around, her eyes resting on a small boulder at the edge of the trees surrounding the park. She strode confidently over to it and placed a hand on it, staring at it for a moment. Envy snorted.

"What, can't do it? I knew you were lying!" She said nothing. Suddenly, she pushed her hands firmly against the rock. Blue electricity surrounded the boulder, stemming off from her hands and growing steadily brighter. The Homunculi covered their eyes to protect their eyes, while Edward and Alphonse watched from their swings, smiling proudly. The light faded, and the seven siblings all lowered their hands, gasping and muttering in shock.

What had been a boulder only moments before was now a long stone bench. Winry turned to them and smirked.

"What was that about alchemy not existing?" Edward snickered at the irritated look on Envy's face. Winry glanced over at them and nodded.

"That doesn't-!" Envy tried, but he was cut off by the sound of two sets of hands clapping. Everyone turned to look, their eyes immediately homing in on the boys sitting on the swings.

"Nice job, Win!" Edward commended. Alphonse nodded, smiling brightly.

"Yeah, that was good!" She smiled at the Elric brothers in gratitude. Envy glared at the intruders.

"Who the hell are you?!" he barked. Edward smirked and stood, his brother following suit.

"We've met before," he said cryptically, holding up his right arm and letting it reflect the remaining sunlight. Envy's expression went from angry to confused.

"I don't know anyone with metal arms." The Elric sighed.

"Fine. My name is Edward Elric, more commonly known as Ed or the Fullmetal Alchemist." His smirk grew. "I punched you a few years back for saying that my brother and I didn't exist." He flexed his automail fingers. Envy's eyes widened.

"Yeah right! The 'Elric' brothers don't exist! They're figments of her imagination!" Alphonse spoke up.

"We're not imaginary, we're just somewhat invisible due to our being alchemists. No one believes in alchemy anymore, so when we learned it, people stopped seeing us."

"And who're you?"

"Alphonse Elric, or Al. And the fact that you can see us proves that you believe Winry, so don't bother trying to deny it." He smiled sweetly. Envy gave his siblings a pointed look.

"Are you guys hearing this, or is it just me?" He cackled, Pride and Greed following suit. Winry sighed in exasperation. Edward smirked, causing Alphonse to give him a warning glance that ultimately was ignored.

"So you don't believe us?"

"Of course I don't!" The blonde turned to Winry.

"Can I, Win? Please?" he asked, mischief shining in his golden eyes. She smiled and shook her head in mock disappointment.

"Well, I suppose…"

"Yes!" He turned back to Envy and smirked. "Time for an ass-kicking!" The other boy snickered, but Winry could see the worry in his eyes.

"What're you gonna do, pipsqueak?" Alphonse and Winry gasped. Edward froze in his spot.

"Oh no," Alphonse groaned. "You just _had_ to call him-!"

"_WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SMALL HE COULD DROWN IN A RAINDROP, YOU JERK?!"_

(Ten minutes later)

"Damn Envy…stupid, egotistical, uneducated…bastard…" Alphonse sighed.

"What are you muttering about, Brother?"

"That moron called me a pipsqueak, Al!" Edward whined, slowing his pace slightly so that Winry and Alphonse could catch up to him. "Why didn't you guys let me smack 'im around some more, huh? No one calls me short and gets away with it!" Winry chuckled.

"Why did I have to go and fall in love with such a weirdo?" she asked herself quietly. Edward looked over at her.

"Huh? You say something?" She turned red.

"N-nothing!"

A week later, the three of them were sitting in Winry's room. While Edward and Winry sat on Winry's bed, Alphonse was looking through her bookcase for something to entertain himself with. Edward, however, was worried about the girl beside him. She had barely said anything to him, and she seemed depressed over something.

"Ed?" Said blonde jumped at the sound of her voice, and turned to look at her.

"Yeah..?"

"Were you being honest…when you said that you loved me?" She looked up at him, worry clouding her eyes. Edward's eyes softened.

"Of course I was. I wouldn't lie about something like that, especially not to you." Winry smiled, a light blush settling on her cheeks.

"Good, because…well…" She looked down and started to play around with her bracelet. "I…"

"You want to start officially dating?" She nodded shyly. Edward chuckled. "I'd love to." Alphonse watched with an amused look as Winry smiled and rested her head on Edward's shoulder.

"Took you guys long enough!"

**AAAAND IT'S OVER! That was the product of me not having internet for a month. Wooo!**

**I hope you all liked it!**


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